


Pt. 1. - Colours of the autumn

by Edian



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Haymitch's and Effie's past and memories, I'm Bad At Tagging, Lot of alcohol, Memories, Pregnant Katniss Everdeen, Reunion, changed Effie, even more alcohol, haymitch's past and memories, messed books real time lines, several time lines
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-19
Updated: 2016-11-17
Packaged: 2018-08-23 12:08:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8327263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Edian/pseuds/Edian
Summary: It is four years after the war and Katniss and Peeta organize small celebration reunion to reveal huge surprise. Haymitch is not as much pleased about Effie's arrival, because he hoped to never speak with her again, and even less pleased about Peeta placing her in to his house for a night. The reunion of long years colleagues will open many pleasing, tormenting, and forgotten memories.





	1. Chapter 1 - The Invitation

**Author's Note:**

> First note is to ask you for leniency with my English, It is not my primary language, so I expect there shall be many mistakes. Please overlook small erorrs, and If is there mistake that would give you a cancer, write it in the comments if you need, I will correct it :D
> 
> Second note is to the time line. I place it only 4 years after the war, eventhough I know Katniss's and Peeta's baby came much later I didn't want to have Haymich and Effie too old.
> 
> Please be nice, this is my first attempt to post something like this to internet :D Hope you will like it and enjoy ;)

It was a very wet autumn morning.  
Here in twelve were autumns particularly wet and cold with its sharp pinching cold winds and overfilling smell of rotting leaves. Most of the people found this weather poetic and romantic in some way, the perfect atmosphere to take long walk admiring colourful rain of falling leaves and thinking about beauty of the universe, but Haymitch definitely wasn't one of these people.  
Haymitch hated autumn as long as he remembered.   
In winter his parents didn’t think that fire in fireplace is a waste of money, but in the autumn Haymitch was shaking whole nights by cold and neither three layers of clothes and two blankets could help him.  
Even after his win, when they could afford to make a fire even in summer if they pleased, autumn was still reminding him of his childhood.  
Most of the times like this Haymitch slept half a day and that was drinking other half, so he wasn't pleased that he was woken up by the loud banging on the front door.  
With one eye slightly opened looked at the clocks on his nightstand.  
"Eight at the morning! What kind of prick wants anything at bloody eight o'clock at morning?!" cursed out loud.  
He didn't bother with clothes and only with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders moved to a window "What the FUCK do you want?!"  
"Oh thanks for a warm welcome. It's nice of you you finally get up sleeping beauty, I'm standing here for a five minutes!" Peeta was standing in heavy rain already wet to a bone, his blond hair soaked with water and he was rubbing his hands to heat them.  
"Then you should have come later."  
"Stop moaning and open the door!" even Peeta has lost his temper.  
"Fine, wait a minute."  
Haymitch put on some pants and shirt that was at least dry if not clean and headed down to front door.  
"You put on time!" said Peeta when finally stepped in from the rain, shaking water out of his hair.  
"Woohoo, I see you learned something from Katniss at least."  
"Even your famous kindness would disappear after ten minutes of pointless standing in this kind of rain."  
"First of all I didn't invite you, second of all you should have take an umbrella and third of all a moment ago it was five minutes."  
"Well if I would came only when you will invite me, your corpse would be probably already rotting here somewhere; shouldn't I take a hovercraft next time, considering our houses are full 20 meters apart; and yes, but those other five I had to wait to you align your outfit," he put down his through and through wet coat and hang it on a nail in the wall.  
"Well at least I don't go to your house and mess up your carpet."  
Peeta looked over Haymitch's shoulder to his living room which more looked as illegal dump of nuclear waste. "I'm sorry, but I don't think that I could make it any worse."  
"You came here to tell me to clean up?"  
"Well, not only for that, Katniss was worried about..."  
Haymitch burst into laughter, "So she sends me a babysitter? How nice of her. Thank you for your concerns, but I'm a grown up, so I'm fully able to take care for myself."  
"Honestly - You don't look like you are."  
"Okay mum, if you want to continue with this conversation, it would be nice to do so in a kitchen I would like a nice cup of really strong coffee."  
After a few minutes and sips of hot coffee, Haymitch was willing to conversate.  
"So will you finally tell me what is going on?"  
"As I said, Katniss was worried."  
"Oh really? That doesn't sound like her. Only person that I would even suspect from worrying about me is you," he sipped from a smoking cup.  
"Believe me she was."  
"Really? Really?! Is she ill or something?"  
"Stop it! We haven't seen you go out from your house for two weeks."  
"Why would I go out in this kind of weather?"  
"For food at least?" he asked with the strong irony in his voice.  
"I got something like that in here. Some cans and...stuff -"  
"And tons of whiskey?"  
"Yeah and - stuff."  
Peeta rolled his eyes "Fine as you wish."  
"Something else you want?"  
Despite his previous irritation and worries suddenly a small smile in the corner of Peeta's lips appeared. "Yes I was entrusted to invite you for a dinner this Friday."  
Haymitch blinked a several times "What? Does Katniss know about it?"  
"Yes, it was mostly her idea."  
"Are you sure, that she's not ill? And why she banished you to the rain? Why she didn't invite me herself when it was mostly her idea, ha?"  
"Firstly, I decided to go to the rain; and Katniss is preparing the house, cleaning up and -"  
"Cleaning up? She is cleaning up?! Voluntarily? Katniss? Okay, what is going on?!"  
"Stop being so melodramatic it doesn't suit you at all," pierced him with a look "will you came?"  
"Do I have to?"  
"Yes you do!"  
"Who is cooking?"  
"I am."  
"If that's the case, I shall come. "  
"Thank you. If you have refused, I would send a Katniss at you," smiled happily. "Well then, I’ll let you sleep or whatever you wish - but it would be nice of you if you at least try to put up yourself together for Friday. It would make Katniss happy."  
"Since when is she caring about my appearance?"  
"Just do it," he put on his coat "And Katniss's mother and Effie are coming too, and Effie at least was always caring about your appearance."  
"Effie is coming? Why is that?"  
“We invited her.”  
“Really funny. Why on earth would you invite Effie?!”  
Peeta look at him curiously "You're looking nervous."  
"I'm not!"  
Peeta didn't look like he believed him "As you wish. We invited her because she is our friend, and yours as well.”  
“Don’t make me laugh.”  
“We invited her and she was very happy to accept. Period, deal with it and - stuff."  
“Well fine, I think I will invite Gale, the old friend of mine, the fine chap. How would you like that, huh?”  
“You may try. I did invite him, but he unfortunately rejected.”  
Haymitch didn't say anything else, but didn’t in any way look happy.  
“See you na Friday,” Peeta opened a door and stepped one foot out, when he stopped, "Oh and as Katniss's mother is staying in our house, you have to take Effie in. Bye!" and suddenly he was gone.  
"What?!" screamed Haymitch and run into rain after him.  
"She is staying only for a night, but I would recommend to you clean up a little," said Peeta calmly over his shoulder and didn't even stop.  
“You invited her, you keep her! Let her sleep on the floor if you must, but she will never again step in my house!”  
“Haymitch, you don’t mean that and you know it very well,” looked at him briefly over his shoulder.  
"But - but - why Effie?!"  
Peeta didn't answer this time and disappeared in their house.  
"Fuck!" cursed Haymitch as he was standing barefoot in the mud in the rain, his clothes already soaked through and through.


	2. First meating

~ 17 years ago ~ 

He got his worst hangover ever, his head hurted as someone would be hammering nails inside of it, already familiar sense that something disgusting and furry died inside of his mouth and very similar sensation just experienced his stomach.  
For the complete perfection of the moment, someone was banging on a front door.  
He removed hair stuck to his face and looked around for his shirt, which he wasn’t wearing for some reason.  
The person behind the door was obviously desperate to meet him according to constant rhythmic knocks.  
“Bloody hell!” cursed for himself, at least he got his pants on, so he got up and angrily opened the door. “What do you want from me?!”  
Outside stood a young woman, or girl more likely, obviously from capitol and her too much overpainted face was full of shock as Haymitch was wearing only pants.  
There was a long silence, Haymitch whose patience had very low limits rolled his eyes and seriously considered to slam the door in her face, “You are the new one, I guess.”  
“Oh yes. Effie Trinket,” smiled she and reached her hand towards him.  
Haymitch looked on her hand and back to her, completely ignoring introductions manners “What have you done, that they shoved you to twelve?”  
She still held her hand reached “What? I just participated in the admission procedure and -”  
“You know what, nevermind,” stopped her as she obviously didn’t realized he was sarcastic, "What the fuck do you want than? It’s bloody seven at morning.”  
“Please watch your language.”  
“What?!”  
“I believe that manners is where true civility lies.”  
It was the most ridiculous thing that Haymitch ever heard, but he certainly wasn’t in the mood to argue with her. “Fine - What do you want from me m’lady?” and he sarcastically bowed a little.  
She looked confused for a second “Well...I just want to meet you before the reaping. I thought you shall be awake already, so you could prepare.”  
Haymitch laughed sincerely “That was good one.”   
She was again obviously confused. “Oh well then, but if you have some company, we could -”  
“No one I would know about, but one can never know,” laugh Haymitch. He didn’t know why he just haven’t nodded and get rid of her.  
“Well,” she smiled awkwardly “than we can discuss the important matters for an hour, than we should prepare according to schedule.”  
Haymitch wasn't sure if he understand her a half of sentence and this time he was the one looking confused. As he looked to her determined overly happy face, he rolled his eyes again, knowing that he could blabbing with her in the doors, or blabbing with her inside with a nice hot and very very strong cup of coffee, but he couldn't make up any solution how to get rid of her. “Fine, just leave your gorilas outside,” nodded towards two peacekeepers standing under stairs.  
“Oh yes, sure,” finally put her hand down and firmly clasped some folder book thing to her chest.  
Haymitch was absolutely sure he gonna regret that, but he moved out of a way and motioned her to enter.  
If this Trinket woman was shocked before, there was no way how to describe her fright when she saw the insides of his house. “I suppose You didn’t expect any visit,” said with her tinkly voice and looking around over mess that was ruling to his house.   
“Very true indeed sweetheart.”  
“Excuse me?”  
“Chill, I call everyone sweetheart,” walked around her to a kitchen, set water to boil and searched in the cupboards for any painkillers. He cursed quietly under his breath so that woman didn't scold him again.  
She dusted off one of his chairs and sit carefully down. It need to be said that with that horrid dress construction it was admirable performance.  
Kettle began to whistle in high really painful squeal.  
“Bloody fucking hell!” Haymitch catched his forehead and knocked down kettle from stove.   
She wasn't paying attention and gracefully took down her leather gloves, “Coffee, two sugars please.”  
“Of course your highness,” said for himself, took his last clean cup, followed the instructions and as she put her coat over chair back, he put a cup in front of her on the table. “Cheers!” turned back to make one coffee for himself too, so strong that it could fight back and tried to find some painkillers again.  
She drank a bit and opened her folder, “According to schedule we shall begin at -”   
There was no bloody painkillers to find and his head hurt more and more.  
“- ten, end here about eleven, half past eleven at most, but that would be an absolute limit and next day morning we should be -”  
“Sorry to interrupt you. There is just something I need to do, give me a sec,” he stopped her, turned to a kitchen sink, stuck his head under water tap and give it a nice gush of cold water.  
Effie was absolutely confused, stared him in pure shock her hand holding his big heavy ceramic cup with a little finger stretched froze in a halfway to her mouth.  
“I just need to wake up properly and it helps with the headache,” more than he was trying to explain it to her, he was enjoying her confusion by cynic part of his nature.  
Water trickled down from his long hair to his naked chest and although he was already almost thirty and not as handsome as he used to be, when he won, Effie’s heart began to beat rapidly and she would certainly blush, if she hadn’t covered her face by many layers of mascara.  
“And Sweetheart I took this road twelve times before, so I really do not need to hear it again.”  
“Oh, of course, I just wanted to make things clear.”  
“How old are you anyway? With that makeup and wigs and - stuff of yours it’s hard to say.”  
“I’m eighteen.”  
“Eighteen?”  
“Yes for three months," she smiled proudly.  
"Gorgeous," he said sarcastically thinking how he gonna survive her enthusiastic joy for everything. Haymitch tried to examine her face more closely. She was pretty or he at least thought so, but under all that makeup it was hard to say.   
“I'm sorry but what are you looking at?”  
“At you obviously,” said carelessly and pulled out the flask of whiskey and poured a lot of it to his coffee.  
Effie was more and more confused, “Pardon me, but isn't it too early for drinking whiskey?”  
Haymitch laughed and after his mug was filled to its rim he drunk a decent amount out of a flask itself. “Sweetheart, here in twelve is never too early for a drink, you shall find that out by yourself soon.”

 

\-------------


	3. The Long Delayed Meeting

How he get into this?! He must have lost his mind! He could stay in his house, in his warm comfortable bed, getting out only when would they dragged him out of it.   
Why he promised to go welcome her?!  
Effie arranged her arrival so she would came by the first train at 10, than she shall unpack her things, have a nice lunch with them and then help them with preparation for a dinner.   
How did he know? She send them a prepared schedule, of course.  
Honestly Haymitch wasn't sure if he was supposed to laugh or cry when Peeta have read the letter from her. She didn’t change a bit.  
The train arrived and slowly stopped in the station. The last seconds when he could turn and run away.  
Then the train door opened. Some ugly old man, young woman with a child, man with huge backpack and a elegant handsome woman with one black leather luggage, black-haired girl -  
He turned back with the honest confusion. It had taken him a while to realise it was her.  
She changed a lot apparently.   
She looked absolutely different than how he remember her and much more different then when he last saw her.  
It was a four years ago, three weeks after the end of the rebellion. Haymitch got his ticket back home, he couldn't wait to get out of Capitol and everything in it and never ever come back again, but he felt that he owe her a visit.  
She was laying as many others in local hospital. Because of her injuries and all that poisoning she got through torture, healers put her in an artificial sleep. She was skin to a bone, all bruises had disappeared already, but she still had a very unhealthy greyish colour. Her hair had been shaved off so she got only a peachy like fur on her head. Most of her body was covered by bandage or gypsum. It was really weird to look at her without all her makeup, wig and that particularly ugly weird dress. He would bet that Effie would not like to someone see her looking like this either, so he just told to doctors to look after her, left and never seen her again, until now when her appearance was even more shocking.  
Maybe if he didn't see her without make-up once before in the hospital, he would not recognise her at all.  
She got heals but on her previous standards those shoes were flat, brown trousers and some kind of green embroidered cloak poncho - stuff. Her hair were tangled in a one single braid and twisted into a bun at the back of her head. They got the same colour as an autumn leafs of the maple tree behind her. No weird dress construction, no eye hurting colours, no ugly ridiculous wig and no tons of makeup, she just looked normal. ‘And never prettier before’ said the small voice in the back of his head.  
As soon as she saw Katniss, huge smile appeared on her lips.  
Effie dropped her luggage and ran to her.  
Effie shot both hands from inside of her cloak, hugged Katniss firmly and kissed both of her cheeks - twice.  
"Oh you look so beautiful" said when she finally let go of her "Peeta!" she squeaked happily and hugged him too.  
Haymitch felt more and more uncomfortable realizing he definitely could not run away now, but much wishing he could. Only thing he he could think of was how Peeta managed to persuade him to go with them welcome her to a train station - and how is possible that he didn't drunk himself to unconscious at least.   
As she noticed him, her smile faded away - slightly only, but her expression wasn't any longer so sure and overjoyed.  
Haymitch pulled his hands out of pockets and raised one hand in welcome.  
Effie took down one of her black leather gloves and reached out her hand towards Haymitch. "It's nice to see you again, Haymitch," said she, her voice wasn't so singly high pitch as used to be and there was not a bit of sarcasm.  
"Likewise," answered he and pressed her hand.

The way from the train station to victor's village has never before felt to be so long.   
Haymitch was walking few steps behind marry group, hands fisted deep into pockets, eyes fixed on the muddy road, bottom part of face covered in scarf and coat collar, still trying to figure why did he even came here, and what he was doing.  
“You may at least try to look not so annoyed,” appeared Peeta next to him.  
“You know that pretending is not my strongest talent. I should stay in bed.”  
“Walk is good for your health.”  
“I will repeat that to you when I catch pneumonia.”  
Peeta didn't said nothing more, and Haymitch was glad for it.  
After Effie looked over a shoulder at him pierced him by her deep blue eye, he felt like he wouldn't be able to speak much anyway.

“So I’ll just unpack my things and I will came to help you with the lunch,” said Effie when they finally reached the Victor's village, “I want to hear everything,” smiled widely.  
“You are here only for a day what exactly do you want to unpack?”  
“You can talk Haymitch? I almost thought you lost your tongue,” spited Katniss with a pleased smile.  
“As you well know, I speak only when it's there a reason to speak.”  
“Oh well, I can unpack after a lunch, I think I don't need to change after the road, the trains are still pleasantly comfortable as -”  
“As in the good old days,” said Haymitch ironically.  
“I didn't mean it like this.”  
“There is no point at arguing here, it shall rain again soon, so could we continue inside?” jumped inside of a conversation Peeta.  
“Are you coming too Haymitch?”  
“No, I think, I’ll exclude this one. And anyway Effie want to hear everything what have you been doing, since I know most of it and really don't care about the rest, I would only spoil the fun. I will escort this to your chambers,” took Effie's leather luggage from Peeta and bowed a little, “Have fun.”

It was blissful six hours of calm sleep on the sofa by the fireplace, he didn't have bad dreams as usually, until he was woken up by the civil caught.  
He opened his eyes to see Effie standing above him. “Lunch is over I see.”  
“Yes. Peeta and Katniss went for Mrs. Everdeen to a train station. I would very much like to change for a dinner.”  
He slowly get up from a sofa “Than follow me, m'lady.”  
Effie in response only slightly curled her nose, as she always did when he called her like this.  
He lead her to first floor, to a bedroom next to his.  
“It is not much, but it is the cleanest room in the house. I wasn't using it for many years.”  
“I guess you get by one bedroom and living room with a full bar.”  
Haymitch laughed but than his face went serious - sad almost - as he rubbed curtain cloth between fingers ”It was my mother's, I wasn't using it since she died.”  
Effie felt guilty “I’m sorry, I didn't know. No wonder you can't stand my company.”  
“No apologies needed. And it's not about me couldn't stand your company, I'm avoiding every company.”  
“Well you have to stand it only one night and than you will be free.”  
“If only.”  
Effie took down her cloak to reveal simple black blazer and white shirt she was wearing underneath.  
Haymitch couldn't but watch her as she carefully folded it and placed it over a chair.  
Her moves were her old self - overly elegant, dance almost, but now with her simple clothing and natural looking feminine curves it didn't look ridiculous as it used to but in fact really attractive.  
"What happened to you? Well I don't say it is change to worse, but you don't look as capitol citizen anymore."  
"Charming as always," smiled Effie with slight irony, "the fashion in the capitol has changed since the rebellion and my old style would not suite my new work."  
"Oh yes, I heard the rumours," he said caustically jokingly but Effie certainly didn't look like she's amused.  
"No matter what you have heard, I'm Plutarch's secretary not his... concubine!" she said agitatedly.  
"Gosh, calm down sweetheart, I didn't mean any harm. I was only joking," in his head laid - I know that Plutarch would never sleep with you - but rather left it for himself.  
His reply was followed by silence, untill Effie's gaze fell on his beards.  
"I see you improved your vagrant appearance to a top."  
"I'm glad your sense of humour came back," scratched his beard "I heard that it's a new fashion," joked and Effie actually laughed. "Now when no one cares how do I look like nor do I give a fuck about it."  
“So, nothing has changed,” she smiled tauntingly, took down the blazer and placed it over a chair as well.  
“Well, as you were the only one who has ever managed to persuade me to atleast try to look pleasurable for the masses, I would say a great deal of things has changed.”  
“I would take that as a compliment, because how I know you this is the nicest thing I will hear from you, this evening.”  
“You have me for such a disrespectful ass?”  
She smiled again “I'm more realistic now Haymitch, so with the deepest respect for our friendship, this is exactly what I think of you.”  
Haymitch laughed from a heart. “I have to say I like you better without wig and all that make-up.”  
“Well I like you better sober. But I don't expect that to last for long.”  
“No,” said “no indeed sweetheart.”  
Effie possibly wanted to unbutton her sleeve but something stopped her, her smile faded and she acwardly crossed her arms at her chest instead.  
“Oh, I’ll let you to change and meet you downstairs.”

Haymitch didn't try so hard, he culm his hair and brushed crumbs of his beard, put on his last clean shirt and trousers and waited for Effie under the stairs.  
The time he was waiting for her let him thinking over many things, especially about Effie.  
Haymitch was often wondering how she managed to survive. Plutarch claimed she is safe in Capitol as she couldn't be even suspected to have anything to do with the rebellion. But than the victors were saved and Annie told them she was imprisoned and often tortured with her, not as badly as Joanna or Peeta but badly enough.   
Haymitch even now couldn't understand, why did they bother with her so much. If she was pointed as unwanted they could simply executed her, she wasn't any use for them, she didn't know anything about the rebellion and she wasn't really a blackmail material for any of them, If the rumours about her and Plutarch weren't real after all.   
Not as he wasn't happy about her being alive, but he was still wandering.  
“What are you thinking about?” she suddenly standed in front of him.  
“Fuck! You scared shit out of me!”  
Effie simply curled her nose and took a deep breath of silent disapproval “considering your verbal expressions, let's say I believe you.”  
Haymitch’s surprised look however stayed on his face.  
Effie's long wavy hair were freely running down her back, only some of them were pinned behind her ear by copper gold feather brockle, she wore long soft simple dress with a gold embroidery and long buttoned sleeves. Her face only gently touched by make-up.  
Haymitch managed to close his mouth and swallowed, “you look...nice.”  
“Thank you. You look clean.”  
“Clean? That's what I get for my hour long effort?”  
Effie smiled “Fine, you look ravishing, Haymitch.”  
“See that's what I call a compliment,” he wants to open a door but, he suddenly changed his mind and turned back at her. “May I ask you something? Before we go, it would lie in my mind whole evening.”  
Effie was brushing something of her sleeve “If it won’t be anything inappropriate.”  
“How did you survived?”


	4. Shattered Porcelain Palace

\---------------------------  
~ 5 years ago ~ 

“Why do you think you are here, miss Trinket?”  
Effie was sitting in presidential office but it wasn't at all how she would always pictured it.  
She was dragged out of her apartment by peacekeepers in the middle of the night while she was in her silk pijamas unaware what exactly had happened less than hour ago.  
Trying to cover her inappropriate clothing with her bare hands and combing her hair by fingers while she was scanning everything and everyone in the room by frightened look.  
“I-I-I don't - know, I was sleeping, I don't know.”  
President Snow was examining her face closely and very precisely. He smiled and poured a water in a crystal glass with Panem emblem carved into it. “Here, take a glass of water it’ll help you to calm down.”  
“But I really don't know why did you called me here.”  
“Drink the water,” it wasn't exactly order, but there was noticeable warning in his voice.  
With her shaking hand she slowly reached for bidden glass and slowly drank it to the bottom. It could be her imagination but water tasted strangely sweet, her limbs felt more lighter suddenly and even to move her hand so she could place glass on the desk was exhausting as she was carrying a heavy weight.  
President smiled at her again and laced his fingers. “Let's take it from the opposite direction. Did you saw the games last hour?”  
“I - I did but I didn't understand what happened I was trying to contact Haymitch and my friends from the game making, but nobody was answering, I assume there were some problems with the cameras.”  
“So you wasn't exactly sleeping as you claimed before.”  
“What? No...well not exactly - I was going - I fell asleep - when your -”  
“Dear miss Trinket, I wouldn't recommend you to lie any further, I could get...well unhappy.”  
“I didn't mean to lie, I was almost sleeping. I didn't mean to lie, you have to believe me!”  
“Oh miss Trinket, you are really thinking very low of me to believe you this pack of lies, you honestly expect me to trust you you have know nothing about any actions of Mr. Abernathy, miss Everdeen, Plutarch Heavensbee and others so called rebels?”  
Effie forgot to breathe for a several seconds “Wh-wh-at? Plutarch, Haymitch and and - but -what - how would they? That cannot be true, it's a misunderstanding for sure.”  
“I'm very much sure it's not the misunderstanding dear miss Trinket, the force field shielding the arena was destroyed by miss Everdeen on purpose and then was she and two others victors taken away by the named traitors.”  
“I didn't know anything, please believe me!” she flanged herself forward, fell to her knees and begged.  
President didn't say a word, he moved his head slightly and one peacekeeper snatched her by the arm and sat her back on her chair.  
Effie was terrified to death, shaking, and almost crying.  
“It's really hard to believe that you with your important position at preparation team wouldn't know nothing, considering even visagist from 12 district team were taken away.”  
“What? But why-how they could…”  
“Leave you as only one behind? Ask yourself what kind of friends did you choose,” he smiled viciously ”I don't believe your innocence in a bit, and your only hope is now to persuade me you are a prisoner worth feeding.”  
Peacekeeper on her left did raise his gun and pointed it at her.  
“I know nothing, I swear! Please, I did nothing wrong.”  
“That isn't exactly what I would like to hear, you need to offer me something worthy of my patience.”  
Effie began to cry “I have nothing to offer, I know nothing, I did nothing!”  
The tube of gun was suddenly on her temple.  
“Please, please, I know nothing, I didn't know about any plot, please!”  
“Didn’t they even ask you, to go with them?”  
“No, no! I swear they didn’t tell me anything, I know nothing. Haymitch asked to meet him tonight but -”  
“Hmmm interesting. And you didn’t consider that to be suspicious?”  
“No, why. We - we meet often around the games to made a tactic how to get sponsors. Please!”  
The silence was unbearable and thick as mud, peacekeeper had his head turned on President Snow waiting for order, while President was reading in Effie’s crying eyes.  
“Well than, I believe you haven't play a part in all of this.”  
Peacekeeper put down the gun of her temple and Effie's sobbing was increased by relief.  
He handed her a box of paper tissues, which she took with the caution. “It's remarkable however, they would leave you behind, as only one from the team considering your attachment.”  
“I don't know what do you mean,” cleaned her nose.  
“I had a use for you already miss Trinket, to be honest it's the only reason why I didn't let to execute you right in your apartment. But the fact you didn't negotiate with it makes the use stronger than I suspected. The use which is more powerful than fear.”  
“I - I don't know what do you mean,” repeated as the lack of words come to her mind.  
“Affection and love especially are, miss Trinket, the worst human weaknesses,” turned on a projector on his table.  
Effie stopped breathing again and in her face pure shock and horror and blushing “How did you…”  
“I know everything miss Trinket. Everything.”  
“But it was 9 years ago...once - it was mistake, I don't think now…It meant nothing -”  
“It's noble of you trying to protect him, it suits my needs precisely. You are my weapon now, weak spot of one of rebel’s leaders, and as such you are under my protection,” nodded and two peacekeepers snatched her and dragged her out of the room.  
Snow gave a last look at repeating camera footage and turned it off.  
\----------------------------


End file.
